


Gemini (NaLu)

by lucyheartfjlja



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: F/M, Natsu Dragneel/Lucy Heartfilia Fluff, POV Lucy Heartfilia, Top Natsu Dragneel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-16 13:15:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28707270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lucyheartfjlja/pseuds/lucyheartfjlja
Summary: NALU MAFIA.She shakes her head in refusion,"N-No...please, I need you to listen."The officer met his eyes with her intensely, grinding his teeth in stress as he kneeled down to get on her level, holding her hand with both of his in the process."Tell me."A moment of silence takes place as she visits her memories, her lips still quivering and her breath still shaky as more tears streamed down her cheeks."Someone...someone tried to kill me."
Relationships: Gray Fullbuster/Juvia Lockser, Jellal Fernandes/Erza Scarlet, Levy McGarden/Gajeel Redfox, Natsu Dragneel/Lucy Heartfilia
Comments: 1
Kudos: 26





	1. Failed Attempt

**[Police Station]**

“HELP!”

A shaky voice yells out of nowhere, alarming the whole station. The air stood still as everyone’s eyes turned to her, freezed in their places.

“PLEASE! ANYONE! HELP ME!” 

The woman swarmed her head left and right in agony, seeking for anyone’s aid.

Her white tank top is ripped out to a tee revealing patches of bloody skin; her pink skirt is colored with mud and blood stains. Her neck is colored with red lines, like firm nails dug deep into them. Bruises are on her face, proving herself to be a victim of a brutal attack. Her hand is covering her arm as it stubbornly bled out; her leg is limping as she attempted to walk to the receptionist. Careless tears streamed down her cheeks. 

No crying sounds are escaping her lips, just pleads for help.

Finally, after the trained crowd registered the fact, an officer swiftly places documents on his desk and rapidly rushes to her, being the first one to take action.

“Ma’am,” His voice so firm yet gentle, “Ma’am please calm down.” He holds her shoulders as she trembles in fear.

“P-Please, help me…” She pleadingly stutters in her soft cry as her eyes meet with his.

“Calm down, please, take a seat.” He seats her down on one of the chairs next to the entrance. “Bring her some water!” He turns around and yells to the officers behind him, then looks back at her.

She heavily breathes as she looks into the officer’s dark orbs-- her eyes revealing her trauma without permission. Her fragile body trembling as her lips quivered. 

An intense fear dominates her, the officer notices. 

“Here.” A uniformed underling behind him hands the victim a glass of water.

“Easy, easy.” He rubs her shoulder as she chugs the liquid down, as if hydration was something she had longed to meet. “Don’t worry Ma’am, we’re going to help you. But please, try to relax.” He takes the empty glass from her.

She lets out a long but shaky sigh as she nods with her head, while tears finally escape her chocolate brown eyes. 

“Ok...” The officer speaks. “The first thing we’re going to do is take you to the infirmary. Your injuries need to be treated.” He addresses, observing the bruises and bumps that’er apparent on the young woman's skin.

Just what has she been through? 

She shakes her head in refusion, 

“N-No…please, I need you to listen.”

The officer met his eyes with her intensely, grinding his teeth in stress as he kneeled down to get on her level, holding her hand with both of his in the process.

“Tell me.”

A moment of silence takes place as she visits her memories, her lips still quivering and her breath still shaky as more tears streamed down her cheeks.

“Someone…someone tried to kill me.”

.oOo.

**[Unknown POV]**

I knock on the Dom’s office, eager to alert him of the news I just received. 

_ He definitely won’t be pleased, but I have no choice. _

“Come in.” An authoritative voice speaks out from the other end.

I twist the door knob and open the door, slowly walking in as I take deep breaths.

“What is it?” He looks into my soul with his intense glare, sensing the news I carry is not a good one. 

I pause, looking at him in disappointment due to the position I’m in. 

_ How can I even say this?... _

“She survived, didn’t she?” 

My heart skips a beat as I look at him like a deer caught in the headlights. 

With my lips zipped, I brought my head down apologetically.

Understanding my silenced response, he sighs and looks away, turning his majestic chair slightly to the right as he rubs his chin in deep thought.

“Interesting…” He finally speaks. 

_ Wait…he’s not angry?... _

“What are you thinking?” I question.

Silence fills the room for a couple of moments before he takes a deep breath and stands up from his chair, fixing his dark suit-jacket in the process.

“I’ll have to do it myself.”

“Are you crazy?!” I exclaim, alarmed. 

He devilishly smiles,

“What makes you doubt that?”

“You’re  **the head** …you can’t get your hands dirty or else...” 

“People can’t seem to get their jobs done around here.” He picks up a pen and a black notebook from his desk. “The girl needs to die.”

“But-”

“Her name.” He demands out loud, ready to note down all relevant information.

I sigh in defeat, knowing damn well that when he sets his mind to something, nothing can stop him.

“It’s…It’s Lucy Heartfilia.”

.oOo.

1 Week Later

**[Lucy’s POV]** **  
**  


I hiss as I carefully take my bandage off my arm, ready to wrap a new one. The doctors had to stitch it, but it’s still stubbornly bleeding for some reason.

It’s going to be a long day at work today and I can’t be late again. I haven’t told anyone about what happened so my life went on as usual. Like…how are you supposed to speak of such a thing? It’s better to keep it to myself; otherwise I’ll definitely worry my loved ones for no reason.

Journalism also isn’t as easy as people think it is… so it’s been really stressful at work.

Now that I'm freshly showered, I take off my robe and walk naked over to my bed, where I had today’s outfit laying on it, laundered and ironed.

_ I need to stop by for coffee before anything, this headache is going to kill me any minute.  _

After sliding into my white jeans and red blouse, I spray on a “sophisticated” perfume scent…or so my manager likes to call it.

My manager, Kyra, basically rules over my life. She’s the best boss anyone could ask for. She lets me write about whatever topics that interest me, then takes my writing pieces and finalizes it with edits and publishing. 

She saw something in me when I was just a beginner almost two years ago, and nurtured it through time. 

I can’t disappoint her.

I look at the clock hung on the wall that reads 7:34 AM. 

I sigh in relief,

“Good. I still have an hour to spare. Might as well get that coffee.” I talk to myself as I slide keys into my purse.

Suddenly, I feel my cell-phone vibrating in my back pocket. I slide it out and tap on the answer button, then place it against my ear.

“Hello?” I initiate. 

“Hey Lucy.” A manly voice responds from the other end of the line.

“Loke.” I smile with a sigh of relief as I sit on my bed. “Thank goodness it’s you.”

Loke is my lawyer. I gave him all the details of the incident and haven’t heard from him for a week. He’s been handling the case for me.

He told me to sit back and relax. He promised me he’d catch the people who tried to…just thinking about that word gives me chills.

“So I got the investigation team all ready. They want to come Wednesday. They’ll look for fingerprints and identify blood splatter prints and take some pictures of the crime scene.” He states. “You still haven’t gone into your backyard. Right?”

“Of course not. I know I’m not legally allowed to go there for now.”

“Good.” He answers. “They don’t want you accidentally playing with evidence.” 

“Yeah yeah, I know.” 

He sighs, 

“How have you been feeling?”

Loke isn’t just my lawyer. He’s my childhood friend. We’ve been through thick and thin together. He’s stood by me through my worst days, even when I lost my mother— I was just 10 years old then. 

I couldn’t think of a better person to call after what happened. 

“I’ve been better. But it’s okay, I’m holding on.”

“You know I’m always here to talk.” He pauses, and I just slightly nod as if he could see me. “I’m going to stop by tonight.” 

“You’re always welcome.” I smile. 

With that, he hangs up the phone. 

I place my phone back in my pocket, then head out of my apartment, locking the door behind me.

.oOo.

**“** I’d like a coffee macchiato please.” I order my drink from the worker. 

“Alright.” He responds as he taps his touch-screen computer.

“That’ll be $4.23.” 

I hand him my credit-card. 

“Lu-Chan!” I hear a girl’s voice calling my name from the entrance. 

I immediately recognized her tone and her natural-scented perfume that flourished all around the small coffee-shop. I turn to face her, giving her a surprised smile.

“What are you doing here?” I question joyfully as the petite bluette approaches me.

“Did you forget that we’re neighbors? This is my go-to coffee shop too.” She giggles as she stands beside me.

I chuckle as we both embrace ourselves in a brief hug.

“Right. Aren’t you a chef though? You have unlimited coffee in the restaurant you own.” I point out jokingly. 

“Well, still it tastes different when someone else makes it.” She chuckles. 

“Here you go Ma’am.” The worker hands me my hot coffee. 

“Thank you sir.” I grab my drink from him. “Right. Well, I gotta head off to work. I’ll catch you later?” I smile and she nods, giving me a soft hug.

“See you!” 

Looking back at her as I head out the door, I suddenly bump into a muscular figure, causing me to gasp with fright and let my coffee spill all over my laundered fit. 

Two arms grab my shoulders as I lose my balance, keeping me still. 

I breathe heavily at the sudden movement. 

“Oh great.” I sarcastically say. “Just when I thought I was having a good day.” I look down at my brown-stained red blouse, feeling every bit of anger building up inside me. 

“My fault.” A husky voice claims. 

I look up and lock eyes with him. His olive orbs immediately pierce through my brown ones like a laser. The intense look exchanged between us could be cut by a pair of scissors. 

His eyes are sharp and his lips are plumped; he overall looks put together.

His salmon hair ruffled smoothly through the wind as he gave me a gentle smile.

“Are you okay?” He asks.

His sharp teeth made itself apparent as he moved his lips to speak.

I was taken aback by his attractive and charming look to even mind the hot liquid dripping off my clothes. 

“I’m fine.” I respond, finally looking back at my clothes with a sigh. 

He slowly takes his arms off me,

“No c’mon, I’ll buy you a new blouse.” He turns to stand side-by-side with me, urging me to walk with him.

“N-No it’s fine, really.” I kindly insist.

“I just ruined your morning. Let me do something to help.” He insists.

“I have to go to work now anyway or my boss might get worried, don’t worry about it.”

“How are you gonna go to work like this?” He looks at my outfit with a sarcastic smile.

“Uhhh.” I stutter, looking down at my clothes helplessly. 

“C’mon there’s a shop right across the street. Let me just buy you a new blouse or I won’t forgive myself.” He smiles, knowing he cornered me with his choice of words. 

I sigh,

“You’re really stubborn, aren’t you?” 

He chuckles as he places his hand against my back, leading me to walk next to him. 

“Just when I wanna be.” 

He leads me across the street. 

“I didn’t catch your name?” 

He looks at me with a smile,

“It’s Nathan. Nathan Dryer.” 


	2. Bloomingdales

"So a journalist, huh?" He asks walking by her side, as her fingers brush over the foreign clothes hung up on the racks.

The shop, Bloomingdales, is overall tiny. It's size only allows 30 people in at a time. It had a crowd waiting in line out the door, but with one word from this mysterious gentleman, they were in in less than a minute.

Their clothes' fabric comes from the richest areas in the world, making them expensive, vintage, and desirable.

The walls reflect a rich yellow color, lighter than Lucy's hair, contrasting well with the hard-wood floor. Clothes are neatly color-coded, organized by wooden hangers that're set up on a metallic rack— a rack that stretches out in one smooth line all across the sides of the shop, leaving an empty space in the middle for people to walk on comfortably.

"Yep. And my manager is super cool. So overall, I love my job." She stops in her tracks as she meets her eyes with two hanged outfits, taking admiration to them. She holds both hangers off the rack and puts them in front of her, comparing the two.

"That's good." He responds, showing interest in her private life as he stood next to her, examining her every movement— his arms locked behind his back as he read her.

He watches her critically contemplate the outfits, taking notice of her furrowed blonde-eyebrows and puckered lips-- completely focused on the clothes at hand like her life depended on it.

"What do you think about this one?" She holds up a nude-colored blouse, slightly slit from the cleavage area with long sleeves.

"The color would bring out your eyes." He gives her a gentle smile.

Her cheeks slightly burned up at the compliment before she locked eyes with him, looking into his olive orbs, taking notice of something... abnormal.

His smile might be there, but his eyes.. the dullness in his eyes.. it reflected some sort of... **emptiness** in his core.

Something she had noticed for a split-second, then brushed off. It's definitely just her inner-writer analyzing things beyond necessity.

She curls her lips into a warm smile,

"Okay; I'll try it out and see if fits."

**Ring-ring Ring-ring**

"I'll be waiting by the cashier." He exclaims as he puts his hand inside his suit-jacket and takes out his phone from his inner-pocket.

"Alright." The blonde responds as she turns around and walks towards the fitting room area straight ahead.

With that, he swiftly turns and walks the opposite direction, heading towards the door that was conveniently by the cashier.

He accepts the call and places the phone against his ear.

" _How's it going?_ " A calm voice initiates from the other end of the line.

"What did I say about calling me?" The pinkette clenches his fist, trying to keep his voice as low as possible.

" _Oh come on brother. I'm just checking up on you."_

He closes his lips together and shuts his eyes, letting out a sigh through his nose.

"The plan is working. She doesn't suspect a thing." His calm voice takes over.

" _Hold on, are you saying that-_ "

"Yes, I'm with her right now."

" _What_?!"

"Nathan!" A feminine voice calls out from behind him.

"I have to go."

" _Wait, Natsu-!_ "

He hangs up the phone and turns to face her with no hesitation.

"Yo!" He exclaims, getting back into character. "So, how did it turn out?" He looks into her sparkly brown orbs as she stands in front of him with a smile plastered on her face.

"It fits perfectly! I should've known there was a shop like this right by my house." She looks back at her blouse, holding it up in front of her in admiration.

"Your house..?"

She nods bubbly,

"Yeah, I live right down the street."

"...Ah."

"How much does it cost?" She mumbles to herself, looking for the garment's price tag on it.

Her eyes meet the thick tag attached and reads the inked number on it, causing her to let out a disappointed sigh.

"I don't have enough cash..."

"Well that's not for you to worry about." He snatches the blouse from her and takes a few steps towards the cashier all too quickly.

"No Nathan, it's okay!" She embarrassedly contradicts, following by him. "I don't want you to spend your money on someone you just met."

He lets out a slight chuckle,

"Don't be like that."

He hands it to the cashier-lady and she scans the tag. He takes out his brown wallet from his pocket, opens it up, slides out his credit-card then hands it to the worker, before even hearing the price.

"How can I repay you..."

He sighs as the worker hands back his credit-card,

"You forget that that coffee-stained blouse of yours is my fault." He points at it with a smile, simultaneously taking the bag being handed to him by the cashier.

Lucy sighs in defeat,

"Okay, fine." She says. "But I'll definitely make it up to you."

"Sounds like a plan." He hands her the bag with a smile, as his salmon-haired bangs fall over his eyes like a curtain.

.oOo.

**Dragneel's Tract**

In a room full of black marble tables and chairs, black leather couches and booths on different corners, and a bartending area at one side of the room: two comrades conversed about, well...

"What?!"

A red-head girl yells out, filling the entire place with cold and heavy tension.

"Did you just say he went out there by himself?!" Her hands clenched into fists as she intensely looked into his dark orbs, feeling the rage build up inside her.

The raven-haired man sighs with his legs crossed on the couch, covering his eyes with his hand and rubbing his temples in frustration.

"Erza, do you really think I had the power to stop him? You know how he gets."

She groans as she sits down on the couch across of him.

"You should've told me earlier." Her voice so firm and serious, yet less angry due to his statement being true.

"Yeah, so he can kill me?" He rolls his eyes.

"Natsu is the Dom of our Mafia, Gray. He cannot leave this mansion without body-gaurds with him to protect him. He's being targeted every second by people we don't even know exist!" She lectures.

He lets out a defeated sigh,

"I know..."

"If word got out that this happened, then people will think we're slacking off. They'll take it as an opportunity to attack." She rubs her forehead in angst as she rests her elbow on the couch's arm. 

"You're forgetting Erza...he's the Dom for a reason. He knows how to protect himself."

With that, the double-doors suddenly open, echoing the room with its noise.

Heavy footsteps walk in in silence.

The duo look up towards the entrance in cinque, automatically recognizing the sound of heels clicking on the white marble ground.

The heavy, dark aura dawned on the room upon his arrival, sending waves of chills down their spine.

"Natsu..." The red-head lets out a relieved, troubled sigh as she stands up from the couch - Gray mirroring her actions.

The clicking noise stopped as the Dom finally stood in front of them, his red-and-black suit neatly fit with his arms by his sides.

"Erza, Gray." He greeted. "Where's everyone?"

"It's only 4PM. They're all still at work." Gray speaks up.

"I have a meeting with the Five Doms in two hours. I need them all back here now." He spoke calmly, yet firmly.

His word was the order in which they followed.

"I thought that wasn't till Thursday?" Erza questions.

"I moved it to today." He walks past her and takes a seat on the black leather couch, fixing his suit-jacket in the process.

The duo follow his form with their gaze.

Gray walks towards the couch across him and takes a seat.

"You're telling me...you were able to move the mafia's time-line for Australia, Europe, Africa, and America— all to your accordance?" Erza crosses her arms in confusion, a little distance between her and the Dom.

He smiles as he rests his full arm on the couch's hand.

"Asia's mafia- .... our mafia, is the head of those continents. Do you really think they're going to refuse Natsu?" Gray responded for him, letting out a small chuckle in proudness as he crossed his arms behind his head.

"Still, changing dates to meetings isn't easy when all the Mafia Doms from different continents are involved." She takes a seat next to Gray.

"What's the meeting for anyway?" She continues.

The Dom meets his dark olive orbs with hers,

"The routined vote we have every two years: to see who's still the head." He fixes his collar as he spoke, not showing a spec of emotion in his tone or expression.

"And we'll still be in the lead." Chuckles a voice from a distance, coming out of nowhere.

The Dom soothly turns his head to the source of that noise.

"Gajeel." He greets his most trusted bodyguard.

"I heard ya left without me and Dreyar today." The black-haired man took a seat on a one-person leather couch next to him.

"He had to go undercover, so he couldn't be seen with body-gaurds." Gray responds for him.

"Hm?" Gajeel looks at the Dom in confusion. "Under-cover for what?"

"Lucy Heartfilia."

The Dragneel, head of Japan's Mafia, responded. His eyes narrow and his voice calm-based, keeping his emotionless face straight— yet the disappointment in his tone made itself evident.

Gajeel should've known, yet there he was slacking off from knowing the important business going on.

"Right, Heartfilia." He instantly recognized her, just from the family name.

"I understand that we failed at killing her the first time, but if you give us another chance, we'll do so without fail." Erza exclaims. "There is no need for you to get your hands dirty in this."

He stands up slowly from his couch and fixes his suit-jacket, ready to head back to his office.

"The failed attempt is a blessing in disguise, Scarlet." He responds before walking off, without another word.

.oOo.

The blonde lets out a sigh of relief as she injects her silver key in and unlocks her door.

"Finally, I'm home." She says in relief, speaking to no one but herself.

She walks in her apartment and throws her keys on the table beside the entrance.

"Long day at work today, huh?" A voice speaks out of nowhere in the epitome of darkness.

Lucy gasps in startelement making her jump up— her files fly off her hands and paper scatters on the ground.

Her breathing heavies as she stumbles over, reaching for the light switch in the dark room, and finally turning it on.

"Loke?!" She meets her eyes with his form in shock.

He is seated on her brown couch at the far corner of the room, across her bed on the right.

"What are you doing here?!" Her tone goes angry, slightly irritated by his little stunt.

He chuckles,

"I told you I was stopping by." He stands up with his hands in his pockets and a grin on his face.

"You almost gave me a heart attack!" The blonde leans against the closed door, trying to catch her breath and register the fact.

After a moment of silence,

"Yes, to answer your question." She pushes herself off of it. "Kyra wouldn't let me get off work till 7 today." She bends down and begins picking up her scattered paper.

"I see..." He thinks out loud. "Still, it's not safe for you to stay out this late. Not after what happened last week." He exclaims, taking a seat on the end of her bed.

"Don't worry. It's just 7PM." She lets out a slight giggle, trying her best to avoid the thoughts crawling in her mind on the events of last week.

It truly was a traumatic experience.

Though having Loke there, by her side, was enough for her for now.

"Why won't you just let me hire body-guards for you?" He sighs.

"Because... it's fine." She brushed it off.

"Lucy."

She suddenly stopped her motion, feeling his hand on her shoulder and his voice way closer.

She stands up and turns to him with the papers in her hand,

"Hm?" She looks into his hazel orbs.

"Do you know what would happen to me if I ever lose you?" He looks her dead in the eye, causing her to bite her lip in guilt.

"I'd never be able to live with myself." He continues.

He brought up his hand and gently stroked his fingers against her cheek,

"Please, let me keep you safe." He begs.

Tears develop in the corner of her eyes, touched by his worry and care.

She lets out a defeated sigh as a tear rolled down her cheek.

Her hand wraps around his wrist,

"Okay." She gives him a gentle smile.

He sighs in relief,

"Finally I got through to your stubborn head." He sloppily sits back down on the bed as she places her files down on the table.

She giggles,

"Hey!" She plays offended.

"What's this?" He points at her _Bloomingdales_ bag that she used to carry her old coffee-stained red blouse in.

"Oh, long story." She rolls her eyes as a smile creeps on her face at the memory, wiping away the careless tears that escaped her eye just a second ago.

"You went to Bloomingdales today?" Loke furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, knowing she can't afford such a high-standard shop.

His natural habit of being a lawyer makes him question everything, which Lucy finds obnoxiously annoying.

She nods,

"Yeah, I got coffee all over my blouse so I had to buy a new one." She takes a few steps toward her bag, opening it up to take her blouse out so she could put it in the laundry.

As she's doing so, she finds a loose thick paper folded deep in the bag.

" _What's this?.._." She mumbles to herself as she reaches her full arm into the bag, picking it up.

She unfolds it impatiently, curious to know what it is.

" _Thursday._

_7PM._

_Little-Shrimp Restaurant._

_See you there._   
  


- _Nathan_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well... now you know why Natsu moved his meeting on Thursday to Today ;)
> 
> I need to know your thoughts on this story so far! Please let me know <3 
> 
> I'd like to know the impressions on it since it's still fresh. :)
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter & I hope you're liking where this is going <3


	3. Wednesday

**Ring-ring Ring-ring**

The blonde picks up the phone and places it against her ear, then takes her hand off and keeps her phone still with the support of her shoulder as she cooks some breakfast. 

"Hello?" She speaks up.

One hand is shaking some salt into the pan whilst the other mixes the scrambled egg.

"Hey Lucy." Answers a masculine voice from the call line. "Are you busy right now?"

"Wait a second."

She takes her cellphone off her ear and activates the speaker, then places it on the kitchen counter.

"Ok, can you hear me?" She asks as she continues on scrambling the eggs.

"Yes." He responds. "What are you doing?"

"Just cooking some breakfast. Come over, I'm making plenty."

"I will be, and the cops are coming with me. Did you forget what day it is?"

"Umm..." The blonde buffers for a second before it hit her.

"Oh crap!" She drops her slotted spoon in the pan as her eyes widen, realizing that today is the day the investigation begins.

"Dang it, for a moment I thought it was Tuesday." She turns off the flame.

He chuckles,

"C'mon, get ready. We'll be there in less than ten."

With that, Loke hangs up the phone, leaving Lucy standing in the kitchen with her hands on her waist, zoned out, thinking about whether or not the officers will find any evidence to support her case.

After her awful experience, she has been struggling to feel safe in her own home, justifiably. But what concerns her the most, is why she was targeted in the first place...and by who?

She hoped that whatever evidence the officers would find would answer some of her questions at least.

The blonde sighs at the thought and undoes her apron, throwing it on the kitchen table before grabbing a plate from the cupboard and pouring her well-done eggs into it. She grabs a fork and begins eating whilst standing, her mind still swarming with endless thoughts.

After eating, she places her plate in the dishes and washes her hands, then heads over to her couch to lazily sit back and relax.

**Ding Dong**

The blonde swiftly turns to the door at the sound of her door-bell ring.

"It's me Lucy!" He reassures from the other end of the door.

She sighs in relief after recognizing her friend's voice. She stands up from the couch and quickly walks towards the entrance, unlocks the door, and opens it wide to welcome her guests.

"Smells really good in here, did you leave me some?" Says the ginger-head man with a snarkle as he walks into the apartment, in the company of three policemen behind him.

"Ma'am, we'd like to access your backyard." One of the officers speaks out with one hand straightened out by his side and the other resting on his gun, still standing outside her door due to the law.

"Uh...okay, follow me." She hesitates as she walks out the door in between two officers, then stops and turns to them. "This is a compound apartment, so the backyard is downstairs." She explains.

"So you're telling me that no one was around to witness this attempted murder in a shared backyard?" The other officer questions with narrowed eyebrows.

"Not a soul, unfortunately." Her voice goes sad and so does her face..

"That's weird." Loke adds. "Statistically speaking, in compound backyards, there'd be at least two people around to witness a crime scene."

"Lead us to it, ma'am." The third officer speaks out.

She nods and begins leading them down the hall, down the elevator, and to the crime scene-- all in silence. She walked nervously as four men walked behind her, ready to start this damn investigation.

After arriving, she sighs shakily as her eyes meet with the muddy grass and broken branches here and there. Her gaze fixates on the corner by the tree, where the murder attempt occurred, as she visits the memories of that awful night.

The cops go under the yellow caution sign and walk into the crime-scene, calling other officers to come down here through their pager.

Suddenly, the blonde feels a hand lay itself around her shoulders,

"C'mon Lucy, your job is done. Let's go upstairs." He so gently says as he calmly sways her around and walks her back into the building.

If there was anything Loke hated, it was seeing her upset.

.oOo.

**Dragneel's Tract**

"You're going on a date with her tomorrow?!" Gray bursts out in shock from his place on the bar stool, looking at his Dom who is sitting right next to him.

"Do I have to repeat myself?" Natsu asks sarcastically, looking at Gray in frustration.

"Natsu," The whittete, known as Mirajane, speaks out from the other end of the bar. "it can be very dangerous for you out there by yourself." She looks at him in worry whilst wiping glasses with a white towel, so she could pour some drinks for everyone.

She always liked catering for others, especially for The Dom. It's not so often he specially requests a drink from her, since he has many chefs and bartenders lined up to do it for him.

"Gajeel and Laxus will be coming with me." He firmly states with his arms crossed, wearing his infamous all-black suit, watching her do her work with his gentle yet deadly eyes.

The whole area in the room is filled with silence as this conversation took place, all intently listening to their Dom speak up about his plans, since it isn't so often he does that.

Familiar people from their Mafia group were scattered around. Some sat on the black-leathered couches in the corners and some on the black marble tables here and there.

"I don't understand what the point of it is. Why don't we just kill her and get it over with?" The ravenhead next to him questions, impatient and confused.

The Dom turns his head slowly towards his direction,

"Like how you killed her the first time?" He mocked their failure.

Natsu, The Dom, the Head and Leader of Asia's mafia had hand-picked out the best of the best to be his main mafia team. In doing so, he had brought them all here to his mansion, known as the Dragneel Tract. Everyone lived in different wings and areas in the mansion, all with their own master-bedroom that frankly looked like a whole apartment itself. 

He pays for their whole livelihood, and in return, they serve him till death do them part. The whole continent knows of them, which makes them constant targets in all areas of the world. 

Knowing they had failed to accomplish a simple task as killing the daughter of the Heartfilia family was surely a disappointment to him. However, he had been working with them for years now and he considers them family. Everyone knows that, even though he never shows it.

An exchanged silence takes place before Gray begins to stutter and scratch the back of his head, feeling a little embarrassed at being called out so bluntly.

"Here you go." Mira breaks the silence as she places a drink of scotch on the bar table, right in front of Natsu.

"Thank you, Mira." He grabs his drink before turning his stool towards Gray, to fully face him.

"Don't worry about it." He looks into his eyes. "Either way, it's better to keep her alive for a little longer before I finish her off." He reassured him.

A momentary silence dawns upon them as the crowd reflects on different reasons he would want to keep her alive.

With that, Natsu stands up from his stool in intentions of returning back to his office, but instead he meets eyes with a certain redhead making her way towards the bar from a small distance.

She had walked in a few moments ago and heard enough of their conversation.

"Why do you want to keep her alive exactly?" She questions as she stands in front of him.

"Why kill her when she can be useful?" A small, revolting smirk greets his face as he presses his lips against the glass and takes a sip.

"Useful how?" Asks the brunette out of nowhere. She had a barrel of beer in between her legs whilst animalistically sitting on one of the black marble tables, not too far from everyone, hearing their conversation but not involving herself until now.

"Wait a minute...are you actually thinking..." Gray widens his eyes as the lightbulb finally clicks on top of his head, standing up from his seat to stand by Natsu and look at him.

"Yes." The Dom responds.

"Am I missing something here?" The brunette looks back and forth at the both of them.

"Information. You want her for information." Scarlet, the leader of the soldiers who had a very sharp mind, finally realizes.

"Of course!" Mira exclaims as she places her hands on the bar table. "You can get all the information that we need about her father!"

"And after that's done," He confirms their suspicions. "I'll be sure to end her myself. I'll teach Judy Heartfilia a lesson he'll never forget." He states, his emotionless expression revealing his inner coldness.

"If that's the case," Scarlet looks him straight in the eyes. "Then why go on a date with her and not resort to your usual methods of torture?"

A small smile creeps on his face,

"Let's just say... I wanna enjoy myself a little before the real fun begins."

"Just like a hungry dragon." Another voice makes itself present in the far distance, his roughness echoing through the large area.

The Dom's eyes drift to the door; he finds his other trusted bodyguard leaning against the wall next to it with crossed arms. He had a scar slit right across his eye; his blonde spiky hair did him no justice in covering it.

"Gazing upon its prey just before hunting it down, building the trust, then devouring it." He continued, consuming Natsu's form with his eyes, as if he can look right through him.

Natsu always found it impressive how he can read people so well, like a book. Aside from his bulkiness and physical strength, he is a great bodyguard due to his ability to scan someone's soul just by his gaze.

"Laxus." The Dom greets him. "You've come back."

"Yes, sir." He pushes himself off the wall and makes his way to everyone. "How was the meeting yesterday? We still in the lead, right?"

"There shouldn't have been any doubt, Laxus." Natsu takes a sip of his drink.

"Y'know, gotta confirm." He chuckles. "Five years strong, all because we have you as our leader." He stands in front of him with a smile.

The Dom and his respected soldier look each-other in the eyes, exchanging a warm look that they both understood. The blond shakes his head in refusal, responding to the question he knows his Dom was asking in his head.

Natsu sighs.

The blond and his Dom bow their heads to each-other simultaneously, speaking a language no one understood but them, before the Dom walked away, out the door.

The air stood still as tension arose itself in the room, the members exchanging looks, confused as to what just happened.

"Aren't you going to greet your wife?" Mira directs her question to the blond as she places her hand on her waist.

With that, the members begin chattering amongst themselves, giving them some privacy and going back to normal.

He chuckles as he makes his way into the bar, where she is.

He walks towards her with a smile plastered on his face.

"I missed you." He places his hands on her waist, leans down, and gives her a kiss on her cheek.

"Missed you more, lightning boy." She smiles as her cheeks flush in warmth. She always loved calling him that due to the scar in his eye, looking like the lightning mark.

"And I missed you too." He bends down and lays his lips against her stomach, giving a kiss to their unborn child.

"He started kicking a lot today." Mira smiles as she holds her little bump. She was only two months into her pregnancy, but she knew damn well it was a boy growing inside her, without a doubt.

"Oh yeah?" He straightened his back as he rubbed her stomach gently, looking down at it.

She giggles.

"Did you take your medicine today?" She looks back up to his face.

"Yeah." He answers. "Don't worry." He kisses her forehead.

.oOo.

**Lucy's apartment - 10PM**

The blonde sighs as she lays her head on her fluffy pillow and slides her cover up her body.

It's been a long day of her stressing out on what the cops might've or might've not found in the crime scene. It was just Day One and she was already losing it.

Thankfully, Loke stayed with her the whole day and even skipped out on his work. He left about twenty minutes ago.

Sighing, she picks up her phone from her bed-side table and goes through her messages and inbox, checking if she's missed anything.

In doing so, the memory of Nathan pops up in her head.

Should she go tomorrow? Should she not?

She hadn't even told Loke about it, and she always tells him everything.

It truly was a hazard.

With perplexed thoughts, the blonde sits up her bed and clicks her lamp open, granting the room some light.

She opens her drawer, where she had kept the note she got from Nathan in, folded neatly, and picks it out. She unfolds it and reads the number, simultaneously dialing in his number to her contacts.

**(313)-797-2655**

With every number she dials, a bopping sound escapes her phone.

If there's anything she needed right now, it was a handsome man she could distract herself with due to all that's going on.

Everything about him seemed perfect in her eyes and she had no complaints, so... why not?

She sighs and places her phone against her ear, waiting for him to pick up.

"Hello?" He speaks up from the other end of the line.

"Hi Nathan! I-It's me, Lucy, remember me?"

After a brief moment of silence, he speaks up again.

"Of course."

"I just wanted to let you know that I-I got your message, and... I'll be there tomorrow." She squeezes her eyes shut after saying those words, feeling shy and embarrassed all in one.

"Sounds like you're unsure of yourself." He teases her.

She chuckles,

"I... had a pretty tough week till now and honestly, it'd be great to go out with you." The tension relieves itself.

"That's good to know. Not the tough week part though...I'd love to hear all about it tomorrow at dinner."

"Okay...sounds good."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey lovelies! Sorry about the late update!
> 
> I have so much planned for this story you don't understand.
> 
> I hope you're liking it so far! What're your thoughts on it?
> 
> What do you think will happen?😏


	4. Date Night

"Ughh!" I groan as I scramble through my closet, looking for the perfect dress to wear for tonight.

I land my eyes on a slick baby-pink dress hiding deep inside, a place too dark for me to see, and an identical blue one hanging on the rack right next to it.

I grab the hangers of the two dresses and pull them out of the closet. Giving them a good stare, I turn around and face the man sitting on my couch behind me.

"Which one suits me better, Loke?" I question, looking back and forth at both dresses.

His legs are crossed and a blue-hardcover book is laying on his lap as he flipped through the pages, scanning the words before him.

He drifts his eyes from the pages and looks at me.

"Where are you going?" He asks after registering my question.

"Weren't you listening to me at all?" I frustratedly complain as I bring my hands down.

"Sorry but The Fault in Our Stars is damn captivating. I mean seriously, the author is incredible." He exclaims, looking back down at the book in fondness.

"Since when did the Great Lawyer Loke read romantic and passionate novels?" I sarcastically question, placing one hand on my waist.

"What can I say, your love for romantic novels is contagious." He responds. "I blame you for all those nights I cried over non existing characters."

I chuckle, knowing that's fair.

"Whatever." I roll my eyes and held up the dresses again. "I'm going on a date in thirty minutes and I need you to tell me which dress I should wear." I urge as I look at him with hopeful eyes.

"Date?" He shuts his book. "You're going on a date?" He places it on the mini round table in front of him. "What date?" He slowly stands up from the couch.

"Well, if you were listening you would know." I neatly place the dresses on my bed in sighing and take a seat next to them as the bed bounces a little. 

"Date with who?" He questions as he crosses his arms.

"This guy called Nathan." I sloppily explain.

I mean, I already told him about this.

"Nathan..." He thoughtfully repeats his name. "Who's he?"

"He got coffee all over my blouse the other day when I was going to work, and was kind enough to buy me a new one. Remember Bloomingdales? Yeah, he took me there." I explain as I pull a strand of hair behind my ear and then lean back, placing my hands behind me.

"And now, what, you're going on a date with him because of a blouse?" He mocks.

"It's not that!" I defend. "It's the gesture itself. He even placed a little sticky note in my bag with his number on it and everything... it's charming." I smile, proving to Loke I'm actually interested.

He takes a few steps towards me with his arms still crossed.

"Did you forget what happened to you last week or something?"

"Yeah, I know. But-"

"There are no buts. You almost got killed, Lucy. And now you're going on a date with some random dude you met on the streets?"

"Loke... " I stand up from the bed. "I know what happened but I'm not going to keep punishing myself over it." I explain myself.

After a long pause, he lets out a sigh as he turns around and scratches the back of his head.

"Where are you going exactly?" He turns facing me again.

"Levy's restaurant, actually." My shoulders relax as I felt the tension defuse itself. "So it's safe." I reassure.

"Well then. I'm coming with you." He firmly states.

"Wh-"

"Just listen. I'll stay seated far away just in case and I won't make myself present at all. You won't even know I'm there." He explains. "I'm still not one hundred percent sure about this anyway."

I sigh in defeat, knowing this was the best I could do.

He's always very overprotective of me. And now, with what happened last week, it's normal for him to be more cautious and alarmed.

"Besides, Levy is my friend too. So it's not weird going there." He exclaims as he walks closer to me. "I just want you to be safe." He embraces me in a hug.

"Fine." I mumble against his warm chest. 

"Good."

He chuckles before breaking the hug and looking into my brown orbs.

"It's for your safety, so lighten up." He taps my nose playfully before taking a few steps back and looking over at my bed.

"These two dresses are your options?"

"Yes, which one should I wear?" I walk closer, hovering over him, awaiting for an answer.

"The blue one." He points at it before walking to the couch and sitting on it again.

"Are you completely sure?" I ask for reassurance.

"Yeah. The pink one is prettier, so go for the blue."

I grab the small fluffy pillow on my bed and throw it at him before letting out a chuckle.

. **oOo**.

With my head resting back on my seat, I blankly stare out the window as I watch buildings pass by, cars drive by, and mini shops standing here and there by the side walks.

I take a deep breath as I feel my stomach flutter in nervousness. The closer that we got to the restaurant, the faster my heart beat.

"Nervous?" The ginger head questions from the driver's seat next to me.

"Do I look like it?" I turn my head towards him, looking at his side profile as he had one hand clenched onto the wheel.

"The last time you made that face was when you were about to get the flu shot." He takes a quick glance at me as he exclaims with a teasing smile.

"It's not my fault I hate needles." I roll my eyes with a smile as I looked ahead.

"I'm just so nervous for some reason." I rub my sweaty palms together as an anxious sigh escapes me.

"You're eating dinner with a guy, not with the president."

"I know but-"

"Do you want me to turn back around?" He looks back at me with a sly smirk.

"No!"

"Stop complaining then." He swerves.

. **oOo**.

"I have a reservation under the name Nathan Dryer." I inform the waitress standing by the front desk of the restaurant.

"Alright, let me just check the list."

While waiting, I roamed my eyes around the restaurant taking a full glance at everything around me. I hadn't been here since Levy upgraded the place, which was about a month ago. The yellow chandeliers hung from the walls, creating a warm vibe as round white-clothed tables scattered around here and there. The area was filled with chuckles, chatters, and laughter. It really was lively.

"Damn, looks like Levy really nailed it with this place." The ginger head standing next to me exclaims, observing the place in wonder.

A brief whistle comes from a table in the distance, catching my attention. I look towards it and see a man with messy salmon hair wearing a white buttoned shirt and a black tuxedo jacket sitting on the table. His back was resting on his chair as one hand laid itself on the table in front of him. A toothpick was clipped in between his lips as he gave me a smirk.

"It's him." I finally speak.

"Who?" Loke whispers.

"Nathan."

"Where?"

"Right there." I don't take my gaze off him as I give him a smile.

Loke follows my gaze and lands his eyes on the very man I came here for.

"That guy? He looks like a total douche." He whispers with a mocking smile.

"How?!" I look at Loke with narrowed eyes, confused. "He has a suit on and everything." I defended.

"An expensive douche then."

I giggle at his comment.

"You're table 24, ma'am."

"Oh! Yeah, thank you. I see it." I smiled at the lady.

"Good luck." Loke whispers in my ear before he parted ways with me and walked towards the kitchen area, probably to greet Levy.

With one last shake, I begin walking towards Nathan as I clenched onto my black purse. I wore the flowy pink dress Loke semi-chose for me with black heels. I let my hair down, reaching my waist, to flow carelessly as my bangs fell over my eyes.

I felt my heartbeats accelerating the more I closed the distance between us. He watched me walk towards him with that smirk of his as he scanned me from head to toe, liking what he's seeing from his expression.

_God, relax Lucy._

"Hey!" I greeted him as I finally reached the table.

The salmon-haired man stood up from his seat as he fixed his tuxedo jacket, and walked around our small round table to my chair.

"Hello there." He greeted me with a smile as he pushed my chair back for me to sit on.

"Why thank you." I take a seat as my cheeks slightly turn red, feeling good about this date already.

He walks back to his chair and takes a seat charmingly.

"I must say, you look very beautiful." He gestures at me as his olive orbs met my brown ones.

My face began to heat up at his compliment, turning redder by the second.

"Th-thank you." I said softly as I gently smiled.

"Welcome Sir, Ma'am. Here are the menus." The waitress came out of nowhere and greeted us before placing them on the table in front of us. "My name is Tracy and I'll be your server for tonight. Let me know when you're ready." She pleasantly smiled, looking back and forth at us.

"Thank you, Tracy." Nathan responds to her introduction.

She nodded before taking her leave.

He diverted his attention back to me.

"I'm glad you made it." He exclaims. "I was beginning to think you weren't coming." He takes his toothpick out of his mouth. 

"Well, why wouldn't I come?" I question as I smile.

"You sounded hesitant on the phone yesterday."

"I mean, I was." I truthfully respond. "But like I said, I had a tough week and going out with a man like you is just what I needed."

"Mm." He leans back on his chair. "How has your week been exactly, if I may ask?" He searches my brown orbs for answers as he speaks.

I sigh as I place my purse on the table, not finding anywhere else to put it really.

"Well..."

_I can't exactly tell him what I've been through.. I mean, how would one react to such a thing?!_

"Work has been difficult. I've been working for late hours and it's just been really stressful."

"Right, you're a journalist. I thought you loved your manager though. Kyra, was it?" He narrows his eyebrows in remembrance.

"Yeah." I chuckle, amused that he was actually paying attention to me that day in Bloomingdales. "It's not about my manager though. It's mostly my work itself." I explain. "But I keep myself occupied every now and then. My friend, Loke, helps me push through."

"Loke? Is he the guy giving me a death glare five tables to your right?" He questions, looking straight into my brown orbs as I felt my stomach flutter in stress.

I turn my head to that direction and find Loke watching our table. As soon as he made eye contact with me, he instantly looked away, as if he hadn't been staring.

"I- That's-" I stutter as a sweat drop forms on my forehead. I nervously giggle as I look back into his olive orbs. "Y-Yeah.. that's him." I look back at Nathan embarrassed, secretly feeling like throwing up already, but hiding it well. "I'm sorry about him, he's just a bit much sometimes..."

He chuckles,

"An overprotective friend you got there." He teases.

I nervously giggle,

"Loke's just... Loke." I justify, as if that means anything. "He's been my best-friend ever since we were children. He's always been one to look out for me." I explain, knowing I can't expose the real reason Loke's here— though I still didn't lie.

"I see." He holds up his menu. "Don't worry about it. I respect a man who looks out for his loved ones." He exclaims, making my shoulders relax a bit.

I need to have a talk with Loke when I'm back home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey ya'll!! Sorry for being late <3
> 
> I hope you liked this chapter!! Lemme know your thoughts about it :)
> 
> There's so much to come, I don't think any of you are prepared...


	5. Black Suits

The more time that passed, the more the blonde lost her sense of surrounding. It was only the two of them, sitting there, swarmed in endless conversation as she gazed deep into his cavernous olive orbs.

The yellow chandeliers dimmed down as the duo went deeper into the night, and the chatter simmered down as people began to relax, creating a romantic vibe between the two.

Gentle sounds of wine glasses tapping together while people calmly conversed, sparked some sort of elegancy in their seating.

He was leaned back on his chair the whole time as he kept his ears wide open, intently listening to every word that escaped the blonde's glossy lips.

"Enough about me though, you haven't told me, what do you work as?" She questions as she pokes her fork into her steak and begins cutting it— feeling his gaze drilling into her in the process, which made her stomach silently flutter.

He drops his eyes to watch her lips move as she speaks, then looks back into her eyes with some kind of hunger lurking in his orbs.

"I work here and there. Y'know, business deals and whatnot." He responds, as vague as ever.

His sharp teeth, much like fangs, made themselves evident every time he smirked or spoke, which was powerfully alluring to her.

"So you're an entrepreneur? Or like, a businessman?" She questions, looking up into his olive orbs again, intrigued as she takes a bite off her fork and enjoys the soft, flakey taste of meat.

"You could say that." He responds, slowly taking a sip of wine from his glass.

"I bet you get to travel all the time. It is but a dream of mine to visit places all around the globe someday." She expresses with a hint of sparkle in her eyes, visiting her desirable future through her mind.

"I do," He only says, as a small smile creeps on his face.

"Maybe I can take you with me some time," He stretches his arm and gently places his warm hand above hers, looking deep into her brown orbs as he caresses her with his thumb.

Blush greets the blonde's cheeks as she tries to register his proposal, feeling tingly already from his soft touch.

She could feel the coolness of his silver ring on her hand, contradicting with the warmth his skin granted hers. Her heartbeats accelerated as she looked into his olive orbs, trying to uncover the mystery he holds in them.

She could see it again— that dullness that is tinted in the center of his orbs. The deeper she looked into those tiny black holes-- that are known to be the windows for a soul-- the emptier she found him to be.

His smart tongue knew just the right words to say. His gentle hands knew just how to hold her. His charming self knew just how to act.

But those eyes... those goddamn eyes.

Just what secrets do they hide?

"Hello there!" A high-pitched feminine voice speaks out, coming out of nowhere, interrupting their conversation.

The blonde swiftly turns her head, startled, and meets her eyes with the form of a petite bluette, wearing a white apron and a chef's hat.

The man with the heavy aura gently drifted his hand away and turned to the bluette.

"O-Oh, Levy!" The blonde greets as she hesitantly smiles, still feeling overwhelmed by their moment.

"I was just informed that you were here, Lu-Chan! You should've told me," The bluette smiles, causing Lucy to let out a nervous giggle.

The salmon-haired man gazed upon the girl he found to be so little and forced a smile.

"And who might this be?" Levy diverts her attention to the man sitting across from the blonde.

"That's...That's Nathan. He's my date," The blonde blushes as she ends her sentence, looking back at him with a small smile.

She enjoyed him. His delightful, charming, pleasant self knew just the right words to say. She felt listened to and looked at by him.

A sort of interest sparked in her as curiosity embarked on her as to who he exactly is. This mysterious man that came out of nowhere took her out of her worries for the whole night. 

And she cannot wait to tell her best friend all about it.

"It's nice to meet you, Nathan, I hope everything is to your liking so far." The bluette smiles.

"Everything is, chef. The dishes you've prepared for us are flavorsome." He compliments.

The bluette takes notice of his expensive suit, antique ring, and vintage watch before sneakily paying the blonde a quick glance of amusement. 

"That makes me happy to hear, sir. Well, I better be going now." She brings her hands together as she looks at the duo.

"I'll be bringing dessert, on the house." She winks after her statement and picks up their empty plates, before taking her leave.

The blonde smiles before looking back into her date's olive orbs again, giving him a shy smile.

"I guess I should've told you that the chef is my best friend," She states.

"So we have Loke, and now Ms. McGarden? Any more surprises?" He teases with a smile as he crosses his arms.

"No that's it, I think." She giggles.

"Wait, I never told you her last name?" She questioned instantly after as she squints, confused and alarmed.

A brief pause takes place, causing the blonde to furrow her eyebrows.

"How would you know her last name?" Her voice grows firmer-- her mind running a million miles per hour.

"She has a name tag, Lucy." He addresses, looking straight in her brown orbs.

The blonde raises her eyebrows as her mouth slightly hangs open, feeling ashamed she hadn't thought of that.

"O-Oh, right," She nervously titters, a little embarrassed at herself.

"I wonder what's gotten you so paranoid." He states, looking at her in curiosity.

Though, in reality, he knew exactly why.

**Ding-ding**

The blonde's phone buzzes on the table, alarming her that she's received two messages.

She lets out a troubled sigh as she picks up her phone and mutes it, then places it facing down on the table, trying to be respectful.

His eyes lingered over her phone before looking back into her orbs again.

"I don't know, sorry about that." She states as she looks down at the table, silently scolding herself.

"Hey, what's that bandage on your arm for?" He questions, leaning on the table as he looks and points at it, faking concern on his face.

His main goal was to earn her trust, and the only way to do that is to get her to open up to him.

She looks up at him before swiftly holding her bandaged arm, attempting to hide it.

"O-Oh it's nothing," She responds as she felt her heartbeats accelerating-- her mind visiting that day again without her consent.

She blankly looked into his orbs, afraid that her eyes would expose all her secrets.

"Are you sure? Because it-"

"It was only a small accident, don't worry about it." She interrupts smiling, defusing the tension.

He leans back again on his chair,

"If you say so," He responds as his eyes glance over at the door, witnessing two familiar men walk through it.

The black-haired gentlemen had their shaded glasses on and were fitted into suits as they roamed their eyes around the restaurant-- as if they were looking for something...or someone.

"Lucy," He calls her out as he turns to her again, calmly.

"Yeah?"

"How about we go out for a walk?" He questions with a small smile, making sure not to alarm her of anything.

"A walk?" She questions, narrowing her eyebrows in confusion.

"Yeah, somewhere to talk more privately," He states, reaching into his inner pocket to bring out his wallet.

The blonde takes a moment to think before she responds.

"Okay... let me just tell Loke first." She says, turning her head to where Loke was seated, not finding him there anymore.

"Where is he?" She mumbles under her breath.

"He left a while ago, didn't you notice?" He says.

"He did?" She turns to face her date again in confusion.

"I'm sure he would've told me..." She picks up her phone to check her messages, only to find two messages from Loke-- the ones she ignored a while ago.

As she taps on her screen to unlock her phone and read the messages, it suddenly turns blank, giving her the "out of charge" sign.

"My phone just died," She says in disappointment-- her face turning upset as she glances over to where Loke was seated again, just to make sure she wasn't imagining him gone.

"How's everything so far? Do you need anything?" Their waitress, Tracy, interrupts.

"We'd like the check," He spoke out.

"I thought you did, here ya go," She brings out the check from her apron's pocket and places it on the table.

"Thank you," The blonde responds to the waitress.

Tracy nods with a smile.

Natsu slides out his credit card and places it inside the check-book before handing it to the waitress.

"Thank you," She says before taking her leave.

"Come on," He stands up from his seat, fixing his suit-jacket in the process.

"Oh, I just need to go to the bathroom first," The blonde says before standing up from her seat and grabbing her purse in the process.

"Of course, take your time." He responds, slowly taking his seat again as she walks off to the bathroom that was placed at the far corner of the restaurant.

He looks back to make sure she was out of sight before picking up his phone and swiftly dialing his bodyguard's number-- Gajeel.

He places his phone against his ear and waits for him to pick up the phone as he looked at the men in suits, watching their every move.

"Hello?" Answers a throaty voice from the other end of the line.

"Are you still around the restaurant?" The Dom, Natsu, questions with a low tone, returning back to his character.

"Of course," Gajeel responds firmly as he turns on the speaker for his partner to listen in.

"Looks like word is out on my whereabouts. The Sandler brothers from Europe's mafia just walked in."

Natsu keeps his eyes glued to the duo, watching them talk to the staff, probably asking around for him.

"Those bastards..." His partner expresses-- a hint of rage evident in his voice.

"There's no doubt they're upset about their range in second place, as they are every two years," Laxus speaks out, his other trusted bodyguard.

Tracy walks back towards him and places the checkbook on the table, his credit card in it and all, before walking away again without a word, seeing that he's on a call.

"Both of you, take care of this." He demands as he places his credit card back in his wallet.

"We got this boss." Gajeel firmly answers. "We'll-"

The Dom instantly hangs up the phone after seeing the blonde walking back to their table out of the corner of his eyes.

"You ready?" Lucy questions, smiling contagiously as she tilts her head.

He takes a final look at the men in suits and finds them walking in the opposite direction as to where he is seated.

"Let's go." He stands up from his seat and slides his wallet into his inner-pocket again.

She nods with a smile before they both begin walking side-by-side towards the exit.

He smoothly holds her hand as he continued looking and walking straight-ahead-- as if it was normal.

She gave him a quick glance as she heavily blushed, feeling her stomach flutter at the feel, yet gave him a small squeeze as a sign of acceptance as she looked ahead again shyly.

There was just... something about him that made her feel safe.

He pushes the doors open as the cold wind greets them, ruffling up Natsu's salmon hair as the blonde's hair flows with the rhythm of the wind.

"Geez, I forgot my sweater at home," The blonde says in between her shivers.

"Here," He states as he begins taking off his suit jacket.

"O-Oh no, there's no need," She shyly says, looking at him as her face begins heating up.

Without a word, he gives her a small smile as he gently places his jacket over her shoulders.

"T-Thanks, Nathan," She smiles as she held the jacket tighter around her.

"Come on," He places his hand against her back as he leads her across the street.

"Where can we go exactly?" She looks over at him with her big brown orbs.

He turns to her, taking notice of the small sparkles her brown orbs held that might've been due to the reflection of the moon, and her curled lashes that made her look even more beautiful up-close.

Her bangs had fallen over her eyes and her fair skin had never looked so fragile.

"There's a lake straight ahead," He finally said as a smirk greets his face. "We can walk by it."

"Really?" She asks. "I've been living in this town my entire life and I never knew there was a lake nearby."

He chuckles,

"C'mon, we're close." He holds her hand again and leads her down the path of the side-walk.

The wind had flourished his masculine scent all around her, making her take deeper breaths, enjoying it. She looks over at him and watches his side-profile as she walked by him, taking notice of his sharp features and tan skin.

The sound of his heels clicking on the solid ground in itself made his presence heavy.

Ah, he sure is attractive.

. **oOo**.

The bluette hums as she pushes the door open with her back, walking out of the kitchen, holding a delightful plate of dessert in her hands.

She makes her way to the dining area and looks up from her dessert, looking over at where her best friend's table use to be, finding a new couple seated at it.

"What the-?" She narrows her eyebrows in confusion. "They were just here..."

"Who was?" Questions a familiar voice who was passing by her.

"Oh, Loke, where were you?"

"I had an urgent call I needed to take, why?" He responds.

"Have you seen Lucy?" She questions, roaming her eyes around her restaurant, looking for her.

"She's at her table," He responds as he turns around and looks over to where Lucy was previously seated.

"What the fuck, where is she?" He reacts after seeing the table occupied with different people, and Lucy nowhere in sight.

"She probably just left," The bluette sighs as she looks down at her special-made dessert in sadness.

"She wouldn't leave without telling me!" He looks at the bluette, frustrated. "I'm going to look for her." He stated before speed-walking away, heading towards the exit of the restaurant without another word.

"I'm sure she's fine." The bluette mumbled under her breath to herself before turning around to walk back into her kitchen, but sudden loud noises from behind her stopped her in her tracks.

She swiftly turns around at the sound of someone scream,

"What was that?"

She nervously looks around the restaurant and finds a crowd of people hovering around something.

"SOMEONE CALL 911! FAST!" One of the voices screams out.

The bluette drops the dessert on the ground, causing a wild glass-breaking noise which no one minded before rushing to the scene. Her petite self squeezed in between the crowd until she finally reached inside the circle, and found two bodies on the ground, bleeding to death.

"AHHHHHH!!" She screams, bringing her hands to her face in shock as her heartbeats insanely sped up, feeling her legs weaken.

With heavy breathing, widened eyes, and tears carelessly flowing out her eyes, she looked over to the exit to see if Loke was there to witness this, but instead finds two gentleman wearing black suits, one with black-spiky hair and the other with blonde, calmly walking out the restaurant with a smirk on their faces.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m posting this story on Wattpad but I’m not sure if anyone is reading it on this platform, so lemme know if you are. If no ones reading it here then I’ll stop posting here.
> 
> My Wattpad: @lucyheartfjlja
> 
> Anyway, lemme know! :)


	6. The Lake

"And your family?"

The man questioned as he walked alongside the blonde, going against the wind. His hands locked behind his back and his eyes glued to her as they dazzled in conversation. One too deep and vulnerable, one might say. His heels clicked on the brick ground and her hands clenched onto her (his) jacket, tightening it around her as one might with a blanket-- she's always hated the cold.

"My mother passed away when I was very young,"

She responded, feeling the chilly wind meet her glassy eyes, making them sting a little. The winter allergies must be getting to her.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

The gentleness in his voice calmed down the air around them as he looked straight ahead again, not wanting to look her in the eye.

"I barely got to know her, you know?"

She turned to him as her voice cracked in the end, looking at him with her big brown orbs in sadness, though a small smile was on her face. He still wouldn't look at her though.

Instead, he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and drifted her body to his, embracing her as she rested her head on his chest.

"It's okay. I barely got to know my father too."

He expressed, caressing her arm in comfort as they walked deeper into the path.

It was all too smooth and gentle, just two adults enjoying their time together on their first date.

The only thing abnormal, though, was that he had murder on his mind. She was too innocent to notice.

She had felt tingles run through her body at the feel of his touch. Her breathing grew lighter as she relaxed, feeling safe and at ease in his arms.

His height allowed her to level with his chest, making it easier for the both of them to lock together.

"Did he pass away when you were young too?"

She questioned quietly--he was close enough to hear her words.

"I was fourteen. But he was always busy with work, so I didn't spend much time with my father."

He responded as she felt the vibration of his voice.

"I'm sorry."

She said, leaving the cold breeze of air to fill the silence for the next couple of moments.

However awful it might be, there was finally someone who can relate to her.

Although Loke was always there for her, he would never truly understand the pain she had endured in losing her mother. The knot that lives in your chest, day to day, hour to hour.

But this man... he does. He does understand.

"What about your father?"

He fixed his throat right before he spoke again, a hint of stiffness in his voice. He had spoken with so much tenderness before, but now... it seemed bald and empty.

The blonde let out a sigh as she drifted away from his embrace, straightening her back, standing next to him again. He dropped his arm from around her and turned to face her as she did him, meeting their eyes once more.

"My father... well, he isn't someone I talk to anymore."

She looked ahead again and gazed upon the long path ahead of them, seeing nothing but her father's revolting face in her mind.

"He's a very cruel man. We might share the same blood, but he is not my father."

She blurted out, in the same cold tone he had spoken with.

He only hummed as he locked his hands behind his back once more, keeping his lips closed and his mind full with thoughts.

Her eyes turned to him as a small smile crept on her face.

"My life isn't that depressing, I promise."

He chuckled,

"I'd like to get to know every side of you, Lucy. The good and the bad."

He looked in her brown orbs, and she only smiled.

**.oOo.**

The bluette breathed in heaviness as she looked around her in disbelief, gulping more times than anyone normally would.

She watched the medics hassle around as they covered the dead bodies with a white cloth, escorting them out the doors.

The restaurant had emptied out.

It was only her, sitting on a table a customer would, clicking her fingers together. It was her tic.

Police officers scattered here and there, as some stretched out yellow caution tape around the crime scene.

Oh, and there were two officers standing by her table, trying to grab her attention, which she had failed to notice until now.

Their presence sank in as she looked up at them, her clicking slowing down.

"Ma'am,"

One of them called out quite loudly, losing his patience a little.

She gulped dryness down her heavy throat, her legs suddenly shaking.

"We need to bring you in and ask you a few questions."

She shaked her head nervously, closing her eyes as tears escaped it and rolled down her cheeks.

"Ma'am."

He spoke up more demandingly.

She's always hated the police. Ever since her parents' death, she had never spoken to a police officer again.

"We need you-"

"I didn't see anything. Nothing, I swear! One second I was bringing dessert and the next they were lying dead on the ground. I didn't see anything."

She said all too quickly, not looking them in the eye.

She was never a good liar after all.

The police officers looked at each other, knowing there wasn't much else they could do.

"Can I leave now?"

She said hesitantly, looking down at the table with red eyes and shaky hands.

"Go ahead."

One of them responded.

She stood up in one quick motion before the officer spoke up again.

"But we must alert you that this restaurant must be shut down until we are done with our investigation."

"And how long is that going to take?"

She questioned, looking him up in the eyes.

"Weeks, maybe months. We can't tell for certain."

She sniffled and nodded before walking away, wiping away her tears.

What a traumatic thing to witness... in her restaurant, nonetheless.

She felt partially responsible for some ignorant reason.

Reaching her house, she opened her door and jumped on her bed, crying into her pillow.

Their bloody faces... how can she ever forget that. It reminded her all too well of her parents' faces, lying there dead on the ground.

**.oOo.**

The blonde swung her door open as she hummed a song she probably only listens to.

Her date stood under her apartment building, walking away from it, heading to a certain destination.

She gasped in startlement as she slapped her hand on her chest at the sight of someone sitting on her brown couch.

"Loke!"

She smiled after registering his presence, closing the door behind her.

"Where the hell were you, Lucy?!"

He stood up in one quick motion, angry and pleased all in one.

"I was walking by the lake with my date,"

She opened her closet door, placing her purse in.

"Why haven't you been answering your phone??"

He questioned, a hint of anger in his voice.

She slid her phone out of her back pocket and showed him her screen.

"It's out of charge,"

"You could've at least told me where you were going! I looked everywhere for you and couldn't find you! So I came here. I've been waiting for you for over an hour!"

She chuckled,

"What do you mean? You're the one who left the restaurant,"

"I left for only ten minutes! I had an urgent call."

She sighed as she walked towards him and laid her hands on his shoulders, looking him straight in the eye.

"I'm fine, don't worry."

She reassured him with that bright smile of hers.

"Everything went great."

She blushed, dropping her hands to her sides before walking away again, to her closet to bring out her PJ's.

He sighed as he sat down on the couch, rubbing his pounding forehead. She sure knew how to stress him out.

"Well, are you gonna tell me what you guys did?"

He forced a smile, looking up at her again with tired eyes.

"Oh, you know, got lost in conversation." She smiled at the feel of her stomach fluttering at the memory.

"He's perfect, Loke." She turned to him. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to find someone who actually listens to you?"

"I listen to you."

She clicked her tongue,

"Well, yeah, but you're Loke." She said mindlessly.

"It's hard to find someone who makes me feel looked at and listened to in every minute and second of our time spent together, y'know?"

He only stayed silent, ironically listening to her.

"He's just... different." 

She said, holding her PJ's in hand as she blankly zoned out for a couple of seconds.

He formed a smile,

"Well, I'm glad you're happy. But you gotta be careful. You still don't know the guy."

"I know."

She said in a high-pitched voice, looking at him as she walked to her bathroom that was placed at the corner of her room.

"Are you seeing him again?"

"I have a second date with on Saturday."

She winked at him before closing the bathroom door.

He only sighed as he dropped back on her bed, laying down as he blankly stared at her ceiling.

If only she would know that the man who would give up anything and everything for her, is only but a few steps away from her.

. **oOo.**

"Is this a safe place to talk?" The Dom, Natsu, questioned as his heavy steps trailed down the dark alley. The night crawling deeper as everything around them was silent, aside from their words.

They were far, but close enough, to the restaurant in which they committed.

"Yes, boss. Everything is handled. The Sandler brothers will trouble us no more." The bodyguard, Gajeel, confirmed with his arms crossed and his back leaning on a brick wall.

"We made sure not to trail any evidence, don't worry." The second bodyguard, Laxus, added.

The Dom chuckled.

"I'm not worried. They won't find us." He responded. "I'm just glad we got rid of those fools, thinking they can come and attack my people."

Gajeel let out a throaty cackle.

"How did it go with the girl?" The blond questioned.

A brief pause took place as an odd smile crept on the Dom's face.

"The whereabouts of her father are still hidden. I'm not sure she knows where he is either."

"If she doesn't know where he is, then she's useless trash. Shall we just end her?" He lifted his chin up, allowing the moon's light to softly shine upon the scar slit down his eye.

"No. There is a story there. There is information to be found. She isn't useless just yet."

He firmly stated, making it the last sentence spoken into the air before the trio confidently walked out of the alley, the Dom ahead and the bodyguards behind him, heading back to Dragneel's Tract.

. **oOo**.

"Lock the door behind you with your spare key please, I'm too lazy to get up." She sleepily stated with her head sunk in a fluffy pillow and her body tucked in her warm, cozy blankets.

"Before I leave, you have to tell me where you're going on Saturday so I can come with you." He stood by the door, hand on the doorknob as he awaited her answer.

"We were fine today, Loke, I promise you there's nothing to worry about." She responded reassuringly.

He stood firm on the ground as he crossed his arms, staring her down till she speaks.

She loudly sighed as she sat up on the bed, knowing how stubborn he is. His head is hard as a rock, never to be convinced--not so easily, at least.

"A dance. He's taking me to a dance."

The orange-head laughed,

"What are we, in the '80s?"

The blonde rolled her eyes with a smile,

"There's this annual dance that's hosted once every year at the Ball & Gown hall. It's only twenty minutes away from here."

He sighed defeatedly.

"Well, do you need some money to buy the ticket? 'Cause I know it's expensive." He offered kindly, always thinking of others. Always thinking of her.

She smiled glowingly,

"You're a really great friend, Loke, y'know that?" She blushed. "But I'm okay. He said he's paying for everything."

"Charming." Loke rolled his eyes, placing his hand on the doorknob again. "Well, I'll see you there. At a distance, don't worry." He said sluggishly before stepping out the door and closing it behind him.

She moaned as she dropped her head on the pillow again, sinking into it as her heavy eyelids began shutting.

It was a long day indeed.


End file.
